The History of 3 Musketeers Bars

The 3 Musketeers bar was introduced in 1932, although the chocolate nougat filling first debuted in 1923 as one of the layers inside of a Milky Way bar. The 3 Musketeers bar was Mars’ third mass-marketed chocolate candy bar, following Milky Way and Snickers. The 3 Musketeers bar was designed to taste like a chocolate malted milkshake. But that’s not all — the original 3 Musketeers was actually a trio of one-ounce bars in a single package. Each of the bars was unique: one was filled with the chocolate nougat flavor we are familiar with today, one was filled with vanilla nougat, and one was filled with strawberry nougat. When the candy bar debuted in the middle of the Great Depression, it was a massive success, in large part because it could be shared or used as 3 separate treats for the price of one (the original bars retailed at 5 cents). During World War II, 3 Musketeers bars were included in the rations of American soldiers. Because sugar and other items were rationed, Mars decided to cease production of the strawberry and vanilla flavors and focused solely on making one large bar filled with the chocolate nougat. This is how the 3 Musketeers bar we are familiar with today was born! (Notably, the single bar was larger than any of the individuals in the trio version, but smaller than the sum total of the trio version.) After World War II, Mars stuck to the chocolate nougat version and 3 Musketeers became quite popular. The bar even debuted in Europe under the name Milky Way. The 1980s saw the release of a 3 Musketeers ice cream bar, and in celebration of the candy bar’s platinum jubilee, Mars released a slew of unique flavors for the first time since before World War II! These included vanilla, strawberry, cappuccino, mint, orange, coconut, hot chocolate, marshmallow, and birthday cake, as well as two flavors — cherry and raspberry — that came with a dark chocolate coating. However, these were limited edition runs. Today, the company has returned to producing the classic 3 Musketeers bar, which remains a well-liked choice, although it is admittedly much less popular than other chocolate bar options available in America.